Growing the GERBERA (Gerbera jamesonii)

The meanings of gerbera flowers stem from those attributed to the general daisy family. These meanings include innocence and purity. Daisies are also a classic symbol of beauty however, the gerbera variety holds an added meaning of cheerfulness, which stems from the assortment of colors available.

Some Interesting Facts About Gerberas

• Having a long vase life, Gerbera flowers are widely used in the Cut Flower Industry. Gerberas are great flowers for adding color to any room or garden.
• Gerberas are also referred to as Gerbera Daisies, daisy being a general name for all species in the family Asteraceae, to which Gerberas belong.
• Gerbera flowers often measure 7 inches (17.8 cm) across.
• Gerberas come in a wide range of colors - from light to dark yellow, orange, pink, brilliant scarlet, deep red, and many more.
• Gerberas can be used in landscapes as bedding plants for borders and flower beds or as Cut Flowers for table arrangements.
• Gerberas are native to Transvaal, South Africa.
• Hybrid Gerbera varieties cloned through tissue culture are uniform, and have long-lasting flowers with thick peduncles that are not light sensitive; hence, flowers remain open in the dark, lending themselves to indoor use in flower arrangements.

Some species of Gerberas, such as Gerbera anandria, Gerbera aurantiaca and Gerbera jamesonii bear the suffix Daisy - Ghostly Daisy, Hilton Daisy, Barberton Daisy, Gerbera Daisy and Transvaal Daisy

About Gerbera Flower

Gerberas are perennial flowering plants featuring a large capitulum with striking, 2-lipped ray florets. The capitulum on the Gerberas has the appearance of a single flower, but is actually a cluster of hundreds of individual flowers. The morphology of the flowers varies depending on their position in the capitulum of the Gerberas.

Various Forms of Gerbera Flowers

Gerberas come in various forms. Broadly, they can be put into four groups-

• Single Flowers - These Gerberas have a row of non-overlapping petals (ray florets) with a green center (disc florets). These are the most common gerberas available in the market.
• Double or duplex - These Gerberas have a double row of overlapping petals with a green, black, or dark red eye.
• Crested doubles - These doubles contain two rows of overlapping petals with one or more inner rows of shorter petals with a green, black, or dark red eye.
• Full crested doubles - These have solid overlapping rows of petals with an inner row diminishing in size, covering the eye entirely.

Varieties                                                                                                                 
Sun Set, Nevada, Sangna, Lynx, Macho, YCD-1, YCD-2, Vino, Venturi. etc. are the popular varieties of gerbera.

                 

Soil and Climate                                                                                                   
Sandy loam with good drainage capacity having a pH of 5.5 – 6.0 is more suitable. Temperature should be within the range of 25° C - 27°C to avoid bud abortion/scorching.  It is better to raise the crop under poly/green house.

Media preparation

Season                                                                                                                   
The crop can be cultivated throughout the year.

GROWING CONDITIONS

Gerbera plants grown in locations with insufficient light will not bloom well. If you intend to grow a Gerbera indoors, give the plant as much direct sunlight as you can. Six hours of direct sunlight usually suffice in this case and can be achieved by placing it on a sunny windowsill. Do not try to grow it under office lights, since fluorescent lighting, even if placed within close proximity, don't seem to give encouraging results.

The Gerbera loves to suntan but it must still be protected from the afternoon sun. The afternoon sun here will very likely fry your plants, hence Gerbera is rarely grown outdoors. They grow pretty fine as potted plants under semi-shaded conditions, like under a shaded verandah or patio, if placed outdoors. Slowly acclimatise your newly bought plants before exposing them to full sun outside.

Gerbera thrive well in well-drained soil. The peaty substrate in which a newly bought Gerbera is grown is not suitable for growing the plant on the long term under local conditions. After the first flowers have wilted, grab the opportunity to change the substrate to one which river sand is added to improve its drainage. Never over water the plant and let the soil dry out a little before watering it again. This is especially important if the plant is grown indoors.

Feed your plants regularly to encourage flowering. You can use a water-soluble fertilizer for flowering plants - those with a high phosphorous (P) and potassium (K) ratio.

Remove spent blooms to encourage further flowering. Remove flower stalks of wilted blooms at the base of the crown, and at the same time remove yellowing leaves, if any, to reduce the possibility of fungus infection.

Above: These are the common colours and forms that are commonly available on sale in local nurseries.

PEST & DISEASES

The Gerbera is extremely prone to red spider mites and one of the most obvious symptoms is distorted young leaves with a puckered appearance. In serious infestations, you can literally see spider webs on the plants and you can also rub off some "red dust" from the undersides of the leaves. It is highly recommended to discard the plant once an infestation sets in. Red spider mites can spread really fast before you can take any action. Miticides are often extremely toxic and are not recommended for use in an environment where there is human traffic. Besides, a bottle of miticide will cost more than a new pot of Gerbera! Prevention is better than cure - mist your plants regularly to increase the humidity which may deter red spider mites.

Other pests include aphids which like to cluster around young growth and whiteflies which are tiny fly-like insects that hide on the underside of leaves. Minor infestations can be treated with thorough washing using a water spray. Alternatively, you can also eradicate these pests by using pyrethrum-based insecticides or soaps. These insects suck sap from the plant, weakening it and are capable of spreading viral diseases from an infected plant to a nearby healthy plant.

Crown and root rots are common due to over-watering and burying the crown in the growing medium.

Above: Remember to check the undersides of both young and mature leaves to ensure they are pest-free before buying! Do the same for routine checks at home.

PROPAGATION

Plants can be grown from seeds but it will be an exceedingly tedious process. Germination can be tricky since the seeds do not remain viable for long. Give up if you notice no seedlings emerging for more than a fortnight.

A faster and easier method of propagating Gerbera is via division of the crown. The Gerbera will produce numerous suckers, which can be split into many individual plants. In the process of dividing the plant, try to give each sucker some roots and be as careful as you can so as to minimize any damage to the plant. You may find it necessary to cover the divided plants with a clear plastic bag to reduce moisture loss.

Propagation and Planting 

                                                                                
It can be propagated through suckers and tissue culture plantlets. Raised beds with 4 ft. width and 40 cm height are formed at an interval of 60 cm and planting is done at a spacing of 30 x 30 cm.

   Greenhouse cultivation of gerbera
              

Before starting gerbera cultivation, disinfection of the soil is absolutely necessary to minimize the infestation of soil borne pathogens like Phytophthora, Fusarium and Pythium which could otherwise destroy the crop completely. The beds should be drenched / fumigated with 2% formaldehyde (100 ml formalin in 5 litres of water / m2 area) or methyl bromide (70 g / m2) and then covered with a plastic sheet for a minimum period of 2 to 3 days.  The beds should be subsequently watered thoroughly to drain the chemicals before planting. Well developed tissue culture plants having 4 -6 leaves can be planted firmly without burying the crown.

Irrigation
Drip irrigation is done once in 2 – 3 days @ 3.75 litre/drip/plant for 15 – 20 minutes. Average water requirement is about 500 – 700 ml/day/plant.

Drip irrigation for gerbera

 Manuring Basal                                                                                                                       
Neem cake 2.5 ton/ha
P  - 400 g/100 sq.ft.
MgSo4 - 0.5 kg/100 sq.ft.

Top dressing
Calcium Ammonium Nitrate and Muriate of Potash at the ratio of 5:3 is mixed and applied at 2.5 g/plant/month.

Aftercultivation
1. Hand weeding is done whenever necessary.
2. Remove the flower buds up to 2 months and then allow for flowering
3. Rake the soil once in 15 days to facilitate easy absorption of water, fertilizer and to provide air to the roots.
4. Remove older leaves to facilitate new leaf growth and good sanitation.

Plant Protection
1. To control Nematode - Carbofuran 7-8 kg/ha is applied at the time of planting.
2. Leaf spot - Carbendazim 2 g/lit or Mancozeb 2 g/lit is sprayed alternatively.
3. Leaf miner - Chlorpyriphos 20 EC 2 ml/lit.
4. Glasshouse whitefly   - Monocrotophos 36 WSC 2 ml/lit or Neem oil 3 ml/lit.

Season of flowering and Harvesting                                                              
When flowers completely open, harvesting is done. Flower stalk is soaked in Sodium hypochloride solution (5-7 ml/lit of water) for 4-5 hours to improve vase life.    

Gerbera ready for harvest

Post harvest handling
Harvesting is done when outer 2-3 rows of disc florets are perpendicular to the stalk. The heel for the stalk should be cut about 2-3 cm above the base and kept in fresh chlorinated water. Flowers should be graded and sorted out in uniform batches. Flowers packed individually in poly puches and then put in to carton boxes in two layers.

Bushiness
An abnormality characterized by numerous leaves, short petioles and small laminae, which gives some cultivars of gerbera a bushy appearance known as bushiness. Nodes are not clearly distinguished and no internode elongation is seen.

Stem break
It is a common post harvest disorder in cut gerberas. This is mainly caused by water imbalances. It could be ethylene controlled and associated with early senescence caused by water stress.

Yellowing and purple margin
Nitrogen deficiency causes yellowing and early senescence of leaves. Phosphorus deficiency causes pale yellow colour with purple margin. Increase in levels of nitrogen and phosphorus were found to promote development of suckers and improve flowering in gerbera.

Grading                                                                                                                  
Based on stem length and diameter, flowers are graded in A, B, C and D.

Yield                                                                                                                        
The crop yields 2 stems / plant / month.  Harvest starts from 3rd month of planting and continued up to two years. Under open condition, 130 -160 flowers / m2 / year and under greenhouse condition, 175 - 200 flowers /m2 / year can be obtained.

Source
1. http://www.starfiber.com/image.php?id=182&type=Gerbera%20Substrate
2. http://image59.webshots.com/759/5/14/95/2838514950026222415OIwUdq_fs.jpg

3. http://agritech.tnau.ac.in/

4. http://www.theflowerexpert.com/

5. http://www.greenculturesg.com/